Origin update: EA lifts the banhammer on single-player lockouts

EA eases one of its service's more controversial policies

Electronic Arts has announced (via Cinema Blend) that a new update to the Origin terms of service will allow cheaters, griefers, potty-mouths and miscellaneous ne'er-do-wells of the online-gaming world to access their games once more. In one of the service's more controversial policies, users could once be locked out of all Origin content – not just for dubious in-game conduct but for such infractions as trash-talking on the EA forums.

The new ToS relaxes this stricture, allowing players with disabled accounts to access their games in offline mode – so, no foul-mouthed teabagging sprees while you wait for EA to realize what an upstanding virtual citizen you are, if it would just take the time to get to know you. EA says the new policy's been in effect for a month – since before the Internet left a flaming bag of dog turds on the company's doorstep for these exact sort of reasons – but it's just announced the change this week. So, if you're the sort of person given to ragin' fits of online misconduct, maybe you and EA can agree this whole past month has all been an unfortunate misunderstanding. No? Thought not.